Methodological Issues in Researching Teacher Education in Developing Countries.

Overview & Synopsis

Social science concepts have an impact on the study of teacher education in developing countries, and teacher education is a primary social force woven throughout the study of national development. A recommended approach to research on teacher education combines a study of how education influences, and in turn is influenced by, other developmental forces and events within a national, regional, or other unifying network, such as religion or tribal identity. Economic, social, and political realities are major factors governing an understanding of how teacher education relates to national progress. Economic factors are also involved in a high imbalance between numbers of students and scarcity of financial resources for education. In the realm of politics, educational programs are vulnerable to national political decisions and the kinds of schools the government demands. Social class values and attitudes and social differences among the educated and the illiterate are factors which determine inequalities in schooling. Studying teacher education concerns in developing nations demands a set of strategies from the combined social sciences and a balance in methodology from each. (JD)